Pain and pleasure

Lawrence gave Han Shuo a somewhat astonished look, then smiled and said, "Very good." His body suddenly moved again, bringing him before Han Shuo in an instant. Another vicious, lightning-fast kick shot out, aimed at Han Shuo's lower abdomen once more.

By now, the fierce kick Han Shuo had taken to his lower abdomen had left his body in tremendous pain. He knew perfectly well that the speed and strength of Lawrence, an intermediate knight, were far beyond what he could fully withstand when he had yet to progress beyond even the Solid Body stage of his Demonic Cultivation Art.

Yet, for some reason, Han Shuo felt not the slightest fear. He even felt a faint anticipation and excitement. The Demonic Essence within him instantly circulated several times around his lower abdomen, and he immediately felt the pain there ease somewhat. His concentration sharpened as never before as he calmly faced Lawrence's subsequent attacks.

Just as Lawrence's kick came at him, Han Shuo pushed off with his feet and shot backward, dodging the kick with lightning speed. But Lawrence showed no surprise, nor did his movements pause. The moment his kick missed, he caught up with Han Shuo's retreating figure and unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks, attacking him like a violent storm.

As an intermediate knight, Lawrence channeled his Battle Aura into his physical capabilities and the force of his attacks, raising every aspect of his bodily performance well beyond that of an ordinary strong man. Even with Han Shuo's current agility, he could not avoid taking repeated hits. A continuous series of cracks and smacks rang out. Apart from his face, his chest, waist, abdomen, legs, and arms were all impossible to defend completely, and Lawrence kept inflicting injuries on him.

As the blows repeatedly struck his body, Han Shuo's pain grew more intense, and his injuries began slowing his evasive movements. This left him taking even more attacks. Eventually, his legs felt as heavy as if they had been filled with lead, each movement seeming to require shifting tens of thousands of pounds.

Had Han Shuo not spent this time continually tempering his body through the Demonic Cultivation Art, Brian's originally frail body would not have lasted a minute under Lawrence's storm of attacks before being beaten to death.

The last time he had faced Claude and Eric, both had used Battle Aura, sending it directly into Han Shuo's body. The moment that fierce Battle Aura entered him, his Demonic Essence enveloped it, which was why his flesh had suffered little damage.

Having sustained no serious injuries on the two occasions when Battle Aura entered his body, Han Shuo had begun to look down somewhat on these warriors and knights. Only now, after Lawrence's beating, did he truly understand how completely mistaken his earlier thinking had been.

The only reason he had escaped injury before was the miraculous effect of his Demonic Essence. Without it inside him, his internal organs would probably have been utterly destroyed the moment Battle Aura entered his body. No wonder so many people had been astonished when Claude's Battle Aura entered him and he did not die horribly on the spot. No wonder Eric had been so certain he would die when his Battle Aura entered Han Shuo's body that he had not even bothered checking him.

Now Lawrence had changed the way he used Battle Aura. Rather than sending it directly into Han Shuo's body to destroy his internal organs, he used it to increase the strength and speed of his attacks. This left the miraculous effects of Demonic Essence no opportunity to work, forcing Han Shuo to endure the blows passively with his flesh.

Smack!

Another identical kick struck Han Shuo's lower abdomen. He staggered backward helplessly and finally, unable to withstand it any longer, fell onto his backside again.

By now, two of Han Shuo's ribs were broken, and his other injuries were too numerous to count. Apart from his unscathed face, his entire body had suffered unprecedented damage. Trembling, he kept trying to get to his feet, but every time he stood, he swayed and fell again.

Every movement of Han Shuo's body now brought him excruciating pain, yet inwardly he was actually overjoyed. He could clearly feel his Demonic Essence circulating far faster than usual, continually flowing through every painful part of his body and giving his aching wounds and broken bones a strange, burning sensation.

Han Shuo knew that his earlier judgment had indeed been correct. To break through the Solid Body stage, destruction followed by rebuilding truly was the quickest method. The unusual circulation of his Demonic Essence was constantly repairing his damaged flesh, tempering and refining his sinews, bones, skin, and flesh over and over, making his body increasingly tough and resilient in the future.

Though his body hurt terribly, Han Shuo was extremely satisfied. Gritting his teeth, he cried out in pain while grinning and chuckling. Finally, he forced himself to his feet, looked straight at Lawrence, and said, "I think we can keep this arrangement going for a long time."

Lawrence stopped and stood before Han Shuo, frowning as he watched him sway, fall repeatedly, and finally get to his feet. As the one who had delivered the blows, Lawrence naturally understood their force. Even an ordinary Novice Warrior defending himself with Battle Aura could not have been as tenacious as Han Shuo against such ferocious attacks.

What astonished Lawrence most was that, after enduring such violent attacks, Han Shuo could still laugh while continually crying out in pain. Moreover, from Han Shuo's laughter, Lawrence sensed that he really seemed full of joy. He found this utterly incredible.

When Han Shuo proposed continuing their arrangement long-term, Lawrence froze in surprise before smiling. "Brian, you're very interesting. But if you want to keep this arrangement going, we'll have to see whether your body can take it in the future. To be honest, I haven't used my full strength today, nor have I used my sword. I have plenty of gold coins. If you still want to earn this money, come find me anytime. We'll keep the same rate-five gold coins each time. How does that sound?"

Han Shuo nodded and said, "No problem. I'll be back soon!"

"Very good. Brian, you're a very interesting person. I hope you recover. My attacks will be even fiercer next time, so you'd better be ready!" As Lawrence spoke, he went to change his clothes. After taking his sword, he left the Trial Ground.

After Lawrence left, Han Shuo did not immediately get up and leave. Instead, he sat cross-legged and began following his Demonic Cultivation Art, repeatedly using his Demonic Essence to temper and repair his badly injured body.

After a while, Han Shuo felt his depleted strength returning bit by bit as his Demonic Essence circulated and repaired him. Even his legs, which had felt impossibly heavy, regained some strength. Though his body still hurt everywhere, he was somewhat better than when he had been utterly powerless and in inhuman pain.

Grimacing, Han Shuo moved his body and felt its pain, then opened his mouth and laughed heartily. Enduring the relentless pain, he slowly rose and staggered toward the exit of the Trial Ground.

"Oh, it's Brian. Are you all right?"

As soon as Han Shuo stepped out of the Trial Ground, he heard someone exclaim beside him. Turning, he discovered it was Gar, the young warrior who had kindly tried to dissuade him in the hall earlier. Gar merely had some dust on his close-fitting robes and traces of sweat on his forehead and clothing. He did not seem to have suffered much injury.

"It's nothing." Han Shuo smiled and nodded at Gar, answering casually.

As a warrior with combat experience, Gar could tell at a glance that Han Shuo's physical condition was not as harmless as he claimed. He had considerable experience as a human punching bag and naturally understood that an absence of visible injuries did not mean the body had suffered no damage. Both Han Shuo's gait and his expression made it clear that he was in terrible shape.

Gar hurried over, reached out, and took hold of Han Shuo to support him. Frowning, he said, "And you still say it's nothing. You must be in terrible shape right now. How about this? I'll take you back. It's a good thing you came out alive. I thought you'd be beaten to death in there!"

Gar meant well, but Han Shuo was currently a menial servant in the necromancy department-and a mad, dim-witted servant at that. Going back with Gar would certainly invite unnecessary trouble.

Besides, Han Shuo did not want to owe anyone a favor. Though his body was in terrible shape, he could walk slowly without any problem as long as he endured the pain. So he moved aside Gar's large hand supporting him and said with a smile, "Thank you, Gar. It really is nothing. I can get back on my own."

Having said this, Han Shuo intended to leave immediately. But as he turned, he suddenly saw a familiar figure approaching from a distance-Claude.

With a human punching bag following behind him, Claude was also heading toward the knight students' Trial Ground. From the look of things, he too must have intended to use a human target for his training.

When he came to the knight academy, Han Shuo had already prepared himself for the possibility of meeting Claude. Back at the light magic academy, Claude had nearly knocked his little skeleton apart and had even sent Battle Aura into Han Shuo's own body. Had his Demonic Essence not enveloped that Battle Aura, he would probably have lost his life at Claude's hands.

Claude had not taken the incident to heart, nor did he know that Han Shuo was the little skeleton's master. Han Shuo, however, had secretly remembered the debt and intended to repay it someday. Although he had long been prepared to meet Claude, his body was in such dreadful condition now that he had no wish to encounter him at this moment. If his guess proved wrong and Claude, displeased with him last time, decided to retaliate now, his current physical condition would probably leave him with no way out but death.

Watching Claude approach slowly with a sunny smile, his head turned as he talked loudly with several knight students beside him, Han Shuo could not help rapidly thinking of a way to avoid him.